2024-02-12 06:15:52
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury told the National Assembly that the issue of one-time plastic ban is under consideration by the government.
He said this in a statement in response to the emergency public-importance notice of Rule 71 in the National Assembly on Sunday (February 11).
Saber Hossain Chowdhury said, ‘One time plastic ban is under our attention. We brought up the issue of pollution in the 100-day action plan we announced. We want to hold those involved in making these products accountable. I am taking the initiative to make rules for this.’
Earlier in the notice, actor Ferdous Ahmed, Member of Parliament of Dhaka-10 Constituency, demanded the ban on single-use plastic products. Referring to the lack of visible steps taken by the relevant government agencies to stop the use of one-time plastic, Ferdous said, “If one-time plastic products cannot be stopped, it will be a challenge to protect the capital’s environment.”
In the notice, Ferdous said, ‘With the advancement of technology, we are becoming overly dependent on plastic every day. After one-time use of plastic for various occasions, we throw it away. The use of plastic wrapped posters and leaflets has increased manifold for election campaigns and many other advertisements and campaigns. All these plastics thrown away after need do not decompose even if they are under the ground for years. Such one-time plastic is the cause of headache for the whole world including Bangladesh. At present, printed paper used for advertising is wrapped in plastic and laminated to protect it from fog and rainwater. It has been widely used in the recently concluded 12th National Assembly elections. If necessary, the last destination of all these plastics will be the drains and sewers of the capital. On the one hand, the flooding will increase, and on the other hand, there will be terrible damage to the environment.
Thanking Nayak Ferdous for bringing such a proposal in response, Saber Hossain Chowdhury said that he has beautifully highlighted how single used plastic is damaging the city of Dhaka.
The Environment Minister said, ’30 thousand metric tons of solid waste is being produced in all of Bangladesh. About 7 thousand metric tons are being produced in Dhaka city. 10 percent of this is single used plastic. We want to reduce it by 90 percent in the next two years. We intend to phase out its production and distribution. We are taking action in this regard. But we all need a change of perspective in this regard. We are adopting single-use plastic as it is readily available, even though there are alternatives.’
In his speech, the minister proposed to ban single-use plastic in Parliament. He said, if it is possible, it will be an example for the country.